Slovakia marked International Human Rights Day amid sharp contrasts between civil society warnings of deteriorating rights at home and official assurances of the country’s commitment to global human rights standards. The Human Rights Coalition declared 2025 the most alarming year for human rights since Slovakia’s independence, citing repeated violations of human rights obligations by the government and parliament. Radoslav Sloboda of Amnesty International Slovakia described the coalition’s new human rights assessment as both “a mirror reflecting where the government has taken this country” and “a compass” for returning to a rights-respecting path. Critics highlighted the constitutional amendment as a major setback, arguing it entrenches restrictions targeting queer people, while women’s rights advocates warned that Slovakia remains among Europe’s worst in abortion access. Additional concerns included menstrual poverty, limited access to health information for children, and ongoing segregation of Roma children.
In contrast, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár emphasized Slovakia’s dedication to protecting human dignity and upholding the principles of the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He reaffirmed that safeguarding rights and the rule of law is a “principled and consistent priority” of Slovak diplomacy, which seeks greater influence within the UN Security Council. As the world commemorates the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration, the divide between domestic critiques and official foreign-policy messaging underscores a growing debate over the state of human rights in Slovakia.
Source: TASR
